Fluid leak detection in a dialysis machine

ABSTRACT

A dialysis machine (e.g., a peritoneal dialysis machine) may include a housing. The machine may further include a leak detector disposed in the housing, the leak detector being an electrical circuit. In response to fluid contacting the leak detector, a leak in the dialysis machine is detectable. The machine is configured to send a signal based on a short of the electrical circuit from fluid contact with the leak detector to indicate a leak condition.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure generally relates to a dialysis machine, and moreparticularly to a leak detector in a dialysis machine and a method fordetecting a leak in a dialysis machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Dialysis machines are known for use in the treatment of renal disease.The two principal dialysis methods are hemodialysis (HD) and peritonealdialysis (PD). During hemodialysis, the patient's blood is passedthrough a dialyzer of a hemodialysis machine while also passingdialysate through the dialyzer. A semi-permeable membrane in thedialyzer separates the blood from the dialysate within the dialyzer andallows diffusion and osmosis exchanges to take place between thedialysate and the blood stream. During peritoneal dialysis, thepatient's peritoneal cavity is periodically infused with dialysate ordialysis solution. The membranous lining of the patient's peritoneumacts as a natural semi-permeable membrane that allows diffusion andosmosis exchanges to take place between the solution and the bloodstream. Automated peritoneal dialysis machines, called PD cyclers, aredesigned to control the entire peritoneal dialysis process so that itcan be performed at home, usually overnight without clinical staff inattendance.

A dialysis machine, such as a peritoneal dialysis machine, may include aremovable and/or replaceable cartridge attached to one or more fluidlines for pumping fluid to and from a patient. In peritoneal dialysismachines, for example, one or more fluid lines are inserted into anabdomen of a patient for flowing fresh dialysate and removing useddialysate, waste, and excess fluid. As the cartridge facilitates pumpingof the fluid, the dialysis machine may monitor fluid delivery, fluidtemperature, flow path, and pressure.

The cartridge may be insertable into the dialysis machine and enclosedwithin the machine during a dialysis operation. At the conclusion of theoperation the cartridge may be removed and properly disposed of. Thecartridge and accompanying fluid flow lines, valves, and/or connectorsmay be single use items, which may be damaged prior to use, therebyallowing a leak to occur during operation. Damage or failure ofequipment, e.g., failure of a seal, fitting or connector, may also occurduring an operation of the machine with a resulting leak developing atthe same time. Leaks may form in any of the valves, lines, and thetubing connections of the cartridge. Leaks may also form as a hole, rip,or tear in one or more fluid bags, for example, the warmer bag, which isused to warm the fresh dialysate prior to being pumped into a patient.

When leaks develop and remain undetected in any of the dialysis machinecomponents, leaking fluid may damage the dialysis machine, possiblybeyond repair, requiring full replacement. This can be problematic whena patient requires frequent dialysis treatment and needs to obtain animmediate replacement, which can be costly. Additionally, a leak mayaffect the quality of the fluid flow and the exchange of the dialysateto the patient, potentially affecting a patient's treatment procedure.

It is with respect to these and other considerations that the presentimprovements may be useful.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to necessarily identify keyfeatures or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is itintended as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

An exemplary embodiment of a dialysis machine in accordance with thepresent disclosure may include a housing including a cavity and a leakdetector disposed in the cavity of the housing, the leak detector beingan electrical circuit, wherein in response to fluid contacting the leakdetector, a leak in the dialysis machine is detectable. The dialysismachine may be configured to send a signal based on a short of theelectrical circuit from fluid contact with the leak detector to indicatea leak condition.

An exemplary embodiment of a method for detecting a leak in a dialysismachine may including operating the dialysis machine and monitoring aleak condition by a leak detector, the leak detector being an electricalcircuit disposed in a housing of the dialysis machine, wherein a leak isdetectable in response to fluid contacting the electrical circuit. Inresponse to fluid contact with the leak detector, a signal may be sentto indicate a leak condition based on a short of the electrical circuit.

An exemplary embodiment of a dialysis machine may include a housing anda detector disposed within the housing, the detector being an electricalcircuit, wherein a presence of a fluid in the housing is detectable inresponse to the fluid contacting the detector. The dialysis machine maybe configured to send a signal based on a short of the electricalcircuit from contact of the fluid with the detector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

By way of example, specific embodiments of the disclosed machine willnow be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a dialysis machineaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a dialysis machineaccording to the present disclosure;

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a fluid bag placementin the dialysis machine of FIG. 2 according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a partial exploded view of an exemplary embodimentthe dialysis machine of FIGS. 2 and 3A-3C according to the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate a leak detector according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate an electrical circuit according to an embodimentof the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of detecting a leak in adialysis machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which several exemplaryembodiments are shown. The subject matter of the present disclosure,however, may be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and willfully convey the scope of the subject matter to thoseskilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout.

A dialysis machine according to the present invention may be able toquickly detect any leaks that may develop from any of the machinecomponents, or detect any other undesired fluid contact that may resultto the machine components, so that operation of the machine may be shutdown, thereby ensuring patient safety and limiting or eliminating thepotential for damage or further damage to components of the machine thatare sensitive to fluid contact, e.g., electrical and electroniccomponents. Dialysis operation is often not able to be monitoredmanually on a continual basis for leaks or other fluid conditions, or itmay not be efficient or practical to do so. This is particularly thecase where dialysis is performed while a patient is sleeping, e.g., inthe case of peritoneal machines that are often self-administered in thehome of a patient. Automatic detection and shutdown is thereforeimportant to prevent any potential machine malfunction or delivery ofimproper treatment.

Referring to FIG. 1, a dialysis machine 100 according to an embodimentof the present disclosure is shown. The machine 100 may include ahousing 105, a door 110 for receiving a cartridge 115 in a cavity 120,and a user interface portion 130. Fluid lines 125 may be coupled to thecartridge in a known manner, such as via a connector, and may furtherinclude valves for controlling fluid flow to and from fluid bagsincluding fresh dialysate and warming fluid. In another embodiment, atleast a portion of the fluid lines 125 may be integral to the cartridge115. Prior to operation, a user may open the door 110 to insert a freshcartridge 115, and to remove the used cartridge 115 after operation.

The cartridge 115 may be placed in the cavity 120 of the machine 100 foroperation. During operation, dialysate fluid may be flowed into apatient's abdomen via the cartridge 115, and spent dialysate, waste,and/or excess fluid may be removed from the patient's abdomen via thecartridge 115. The door 110 may be securely closed to the machine 100.Peritoneal dialysis for a patient may include a total treatment of 12liters of fluid, where 2 liters of dialysate fluid are pumped into apatient's abdomen, held for a period of time, e.g., about an hour, andthen pumped out of the patient. This is repeated until the fulltreatment volume is achieved, and usually occurs overnight while apatient sleeps.

The user interface portion 130 may be a touch screen, and may includeone or more buttons for selecting and/or entering user information. Theuser interface portion 130 may be operatively connected to a controller(not shown) and disposed in the machine 100 for receiving and processingthe inputs to operate the dialysis machine 100. A warmer pouch (notshown) may be placed on top of the machine 100, over heater 135. Theheater 135 may increase the temperature of fluid in the warmer pouch toapproximately a body temperature of the user, e.g., 98°-99° F. In someembodiments, fluid from the warmer pouch may be cycled during operationvia the fluid lines 125 and cartridge 115 to increase the temperature ofdialysate fluid prior to flowing the dialysate fluid into the patient.

As discussed above, fluid may leak from at least one of the cartridge115, fluid bags, fluid lines 125, valves, and connections thereof duringoperation. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a leakdetector 405 (FIG. 4) may monitor a leak condition, and detect a leakimmediately or within a very short time after the leak occurs duringoperation and signal to the user and/or patient before the machine 100incurs severe leak damage. If a leak is detected, an alarm condition maybe generated, such as a visual and/or audible notifier. In someembodiments, the machine 100 may wirelessly transmit (e.g., via awireless Internet connection) the alarm condition to a remote location,including but not limited to a doctor's office, hospital, call center,and technical support. For example, the machine 100 may provide realtime remote monitoring of machine operation. The machine 100 may includea memory for storing data, or may transmit data to a local or remoteserver at scheduled intervals.

FIGS. 2 and 3A-3C illustrate another exemplary embodiment of a dialysismachine 200 according to the present disclosure. The machine 200 mayinclude a housing 205 and a user interface portion 230. A cartridge (notshown) may similarly be insertable into or associated with the machine200, e.g., as described above with respect to the machine 100, beingconnected to one or more fluid bags via the fluid lines 125, and pumpingfresh dialysate into the user and removing used dialysate, waste, and/orexcess fluid. An opening, or gap 220 may be formed between at least aportion of a lower housing portion 210 and at least a portion of anupper housing portion 215. In some embodiments, the gap 220 may beconfigured to receive a warmer pouch 305 (FIGS. 3A-3C).

In an embodiment, and as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, dialysate fluid may beheatable by an internal heating system, such as an internal heatingplate and warmer pouch 305 and/or a different internal heating system.When the warmer pouch 305 is inserted into the gap 220 as shown in FIG.3A, the warmer pouch 305 may be disposed directly above and parallel tothe internal heating system of the machine 200. The warmer pouch 305 maybe insertable and/or removable from the gap 220 as shown in FIGS. 3A-3Cin a direction indicated by arrow 310. A portion of the lower housingportion 210 and/or the leak detector casing 415 may be removed orotherwise allow for visibility of a leak detector 405 as shown in FIGS.3A-3C. The internal heating system may be disposed in at least a portionof the lower housing portion 210, with the leak detector 405 beingdisposed around edges of the internal heating system. The leak detector405 and the leak detector casing 415 may be disposed in the lowerhousing portion 210 so when the warmer pouch 305 is inserted in the gap220, any potential fluid leakage may be monitored and detectable by theleak detector 405. It may be advantageous to heat the dialysis fluid inan internal area of the machine 200 to better control the temperature ofthe fluid. In embodiments where fluid is being heated by an internalsystem of the machine 200, it is imperative to detect immediately anyleaks that may occur to ensure patient safety.

In embodiments, the housing 105, 205 may be rectangular, although anyshape suitable for receiving at least one of a cartridge, fluid bag, andfluid lines may be used. The housing 105, 205 may be made of rigidplastic, metal, composite, or the like, for securely enclosing internalcomponents, including but not limited to a controller, processor, powersource, main circuit board, sensors, internal heating system, and atleast one of a leak detector 405 (FIG. 4). It is understood that theseinternal components may be operatively connected to any of each other ina known manner.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a leak detector may beincorporated into the housing of the machines described above to detectleaks from any one or more of a cartridge, fluid lines, and fluid bags,and shut down the machine and operation to ensure patient safety. Anexemplary leak detector 405 for the housing 205 of machine 200 isdepicted with reference to FIG. 4, which shows a portion of the housing205, e.g., a lower housing portion 210. The leak detector 405 may beconfigured to fit within a cavity 410 of the lower housing portion 210of the housing 205. The leak detector 405 may be an electrical circuit.In some embodiments, the electrical circuit may be at least partiallyflexible, to allow for bending and/or twisting. For example, theelectrical circuit may be a combination of rigid and flexible portions.It may be advantageous to include a flexible circuit as the leakdetector 405 to allow for flexure during assembly of the machine 200 andfor proper fit with other internal components, e.g., the internalheating system for the warmer pouch 305 in the machine 200. A leakdetector configured for machine 100 may be similar in shape to the leakdetector 405, and may be configured in accordance with dimensionalrequirements of the machine 100.

In embodiments, the leak detector 405 may be protected by a leakdetector casing 415, the leak detector casing 415 being configured tocover or enclose at least a portion of the leak detector 405. The leakdetector 405 may be disposed between the lower housing portion 210 andthe leak detector casing 415, so that the leak detector casing 415covers a top surface of the leak detector 405. The leak detector casing415 may be formed of a metal, plastic, composite or the like, to providestructural support for the leak detector 405 and to protect the leakdetector 405 from other debris and damage while still allowing leakedfluid to contact the leak detector 405. In embodiments, the leakdetector casing 415 may include a plurality of openings 420 so that anyleaking fluid will quickly contact the leak detector 405.

As shown in FIG. 4, the leak detector 405 may be disposed in the lowerhousing portion 210. The leak detector 405 and accompanying leakdetector casing 415 may be disposed along and/or abut one or moreinternal edges 425 a-425 c, so that the leak detector extends at leastpartially around a perimeter of the lower housing portion 210. Asdescribed above, leaks may develop in one or more areas of the machine100, 200, for example, from the fluid lines 125, the cartridge 115,fluid bags, and the like. It is advantageous to dispose the leakdetector 405 along the internal edges 425 a-425 c of the lower housingportion 210, as the leaked fluid migrates towards the bottom, internaledges 425 a-425 d of the housing 105, 205. In embodiments where thewarmer pouch 305 is insertable in the machine 200 (FIGS. 3A-3C), aheating plate or other internal heating system for adjusting thetemperature of the warmer pouch may be disposed in the cavity 410 abovethe leak detector 405. Additionally, being disposed in the lowermostportion of the housing 105, 205 ensures that any fluid that may drip orgather is immediately detected. This ensures a rapid detection of anyfluid leaks. Other locations of a leak detector, and more than one leakdetector, may be contemplated within a housing, e.g., dedicated to aparticular potential source of leaking, so as to bring the leak detectorinto closer proximity to that source and thus hasten any leak detectionat that source.

The leak detector 405 may be fixedly coupled to at least one of thelower housing portion 210 and the leak detector casing 415. Inembodiments, the leak detector 405 may include a plurality of apertures505 and cutouts 510. At least one of the plurality of apertures 505 andcutouts 510 may receive a corresponding protrusion 515 on the leakdetector casing 415. The protrusion 515 may be configured to extendthrough a respective aperture 505 and/or cutout 510 for at least partialinsertion into a corresponding hole 430 in the lower housing portion210. It is understood that the apertures 505 and/or cutouts 510,protrusions 515 and holes 430 may be aligned for assembly and joining.Although the leak detector 405 and leak detector casing 415 may becoupled to the lower housing portion 210 via protrusions 515 throughapertures 505 and/or cutouts 510 and holes 430, it is not critical andany known joining mechanisms may be used, including but not limited topins, solder beads, weld beads, and the like. In some embodiments, theleak detector 405 may include one or more notches 520 for alignment withalignment pins 435 on the lower housing portion 210.

According to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5B, theleak detector 405 and the leak detector casing 415 may be formed in a U-or C-shape, including a first portion 525 having a first end 525 a and asecond end 525 b, a second portion 530 extending from one of the firstend 525 a or the second end 525 b, and a third portion 535 extendingfrom the other of the first end 525 a or the second end 525 b. Thesecond portion 530 and the third portion 535 may be substantiallyparallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the firstportion 525. The leak detector casing 415 may be integrally formed insome embodiments, and in other embodiments, the first portion 525 may becoupled to the second portion 530 and the third portion 535 at the firstand second ends 525 a, 525 b, respectively. The first, second, and thirdportions 525, 530, 535 may be coupled together by known mechanicalfasteners, screws, press fit, welding, soldering, adhesives, tongue andgroove connections, and the like. It is understood though that the leakdetector may be located and include any other shape and configuration inaccordance with the requirements or other application of the machine100, 200, so long as the circuit is situated to be contacted by anysource of undesired fluid present in the machine to short the circuitand signal a leak.

As shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, the flexible circuit of the leak detector 405may include conductive circuits 605 with a plurality of pads 600 andpositive and negative traces 605 a, 605 b. The positive and negativetraces 605 a, 605 b may extend along at least one of the front side 610and the back side 615 of the circuit 605 adjacent and substantiallyparallel to each other. The positive and negative traces 605 a, 605 bmay extend along in a direction parallel to the first portion 525, thesecond portion 530, and the third portion 535, for example, in a C- orU-shape.

The leak detector 405 may be electrically connected in the machine 200,for current to flow along the path of the positive and negative traces605 a, 605 b during operation. For example, in the event of a leak,fluid contacting the leak detector causes a short of the electricalcircuit. A cable connection from the leak detector 405 to a main circuitboard may provide current and allow for constant monitoring of a shortof the leak detector 405. In embodiments, the machine 100, 200 maymonitor and/or react to the short circuit condition of the leak detector405. For example, a signal may be sent to the user interface portion130, 230 to indicate the leak, and/or an audioaudible or a lightindicator may be triggered. The machine 100, 200 may automatically shutoff operation, or allow the user to monitor, pause, and/or cease thedialysis operation based on the leak detection. The leak detector 405may be resettable or replaceable, in that when fluid is not present thecontroller may allow for normal operation of the machine 100, 200. Inother embodiments, in the event of a leak and the electrical circuit ofthe leak detector 405 shorts, the machine 100, 200 may no longer beoperable, requiring replacement of the entire machine. This may beadvantageous to ensure that only dialysis machines operating at thehighest quality of care for patients are in use.

As described above, the leak detector 405 may be disposed in an area ofthe machine 100, 200 so any leaked fluid may contact the flexiblecircuit. For example, fresh dialysate, spent dialysate, waste, warmerfluid and/or excess fluid may leak in the machine 100, 200. Duringnormal operation of the dialysis machine 100, 200, all fluid is properlycontained within its respective fluid bags and/or fluid lines. The leakdetector 405 may be configured to monitor the machine 100, 200 throughall stages of operation to ensure patient safety. In the event of fluidcontacting the leak detector and a short occurring, the machine 100, 200may be configured to react to the short circuit condition of the leakdetector 405 in any number of ways, including initiating alarms and/orcausing one or more operational conditions.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow diagram 700 of a method of detecting aleak during a dialysis operation according to an embodiment of thepresent invention is shown. At step 705, components of the dialysismachine 100, 200 are inserted, for example, a cartridge 115 may insertedinto a cavity 120 of a housing 105 of the dialysis machine 100, and/orfluid bags, such as warmer pouch 305, may be inserted in the gap 220 ofthe lower housing portion 210 of the machine 200. At step 710, thedialysis machine 100, 200 is operated by pumping dialysate fluid via thecartridge 115 or other fluid component or source. As described above, ina peritoneal dialysis operation, fresh dialysate may be pumped into anabdomen of a patient, and spent dialysate, including waste and excessfluid, may flow out of the patient's abdomen. At step 715, a leakcondition of the dialysis machine 100, 200 is monitored by the leakdetector 405. The leak detector 405 may be an at least partiallyflexible circuit disposed in a lower portion 210 of the housing 105,205. At step 720, when a leak is detected in the dialysis machine 100,200, an electrical short of the leak detector 405 occurs by fluidcontacting the electrical circuit, thereby sending a signal to the userinterface portion 130, 230 of the machine 100, 200 to indicate the leakcondition. As described above, the machine 100, 200 may send an audibleor a visual indication of the leak condition, and alternatively oradditionally automatically stop dialysis operation.

Some embodiments of the disclosed system may be implemented, forexample, using a storage medium, a computer-readable medium or anarticle of manufacture which may store an instruction or a set ofinstructions that, if executed by a machine (i.e., processor ormicrocontroller), may cause the machine to perform a method and/oroperations in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. Inaddition, a server or database server may include machine readable mediaconfigured to store machine executable program instructions. Such amachine may include, for example, any suitable processing platform,computing platform, computing device, processing device, computingsystem, processing system, computer, processor, or the like, and may beimplemented using any suitable combination of hardware, software,firmware, or a combination thereof and utilized in systems, subsystems,components, or sub-components thereof. The computer-readable medium orarticle may include, for example, any suitable type of memory unit,memory device, memory article, memory medium, storage device, storagearticle, storage medium and/or storage unit, for example, memory(including non-transitory memory), removable or non-removable media,erasable or non-erasable media, writeable or re-writeable media, digitalor analog media, hard disk, floppy disk, Compact Disk Read Only Memory(CD-ROM), Compact Disk Recordable (CD-R), Compact Disk Rewriteable(CD-RW), optical disk, magnetic media, magneto-optical media, removablememory cards or disks, various types of Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), atape, a cassette, or the like. The instructions may include any suitabletype of code, such as source code, compiled code, interpreted code,executable code, static code, dynamic code, encrypted code, and thelike, implemented using any suitable high-level, low-level,object-oriented, visual, compiled and/or interpreted programminglanguage.

As used herein, an element or operation recited in the singular andproceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as notexcluding plural elements or operations, unless such exclusion isexplicitly recited. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of thepresent disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding theexistence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recitedfeatures.

While the systems and techniques described herein for detecting leakshave been largely explained with reference to a dialysis machine, inparticular, a peritoneal dialysis machine, the systems and techniquesdescribed for detecting leaks may be used in connection with other typesof medical treatment systems and/or machines, such as a hemodialysismachine or other medical treatment device involving medical fluids. Insome implementations, the dialysis machine may be configured for use ina patient's home (e.g., a home dialysis machine). The home dialysismachine can take the form of a peritoneal dialysis machine or a homehemodialysis machine.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in scope by the specificembodiments described herein. Indeed, other various embodiments of andmodifications to the present disclosure, in addition to those describedherein, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from theforegoing description and accompanying drawings. Thus, such otherembodiments and modifications are intended to fall within the scope ofthe present disclosure. Furthermore, although the present disclosure hasbeen described herein in the context of a particular implementation in aparticular environment for a particular purpose, those of ordinary skillin the art will recognize that its usefulness is not limited thereto andthat the present disclosure may be beneficially implemented in anynumber of environments for any number of purposes. Accordingly, theclaims set forth below should be construed in view of the full breadthand spirit of the present disclosure as described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dialysis machine, comprising: a housing including a cavity; and a leak detector disposed in the cavity of the housing, the leak detector being an electrical circuit; wherein in response to fluid contacting the leak detector, a leak in the dialysis machine is detectable.
 2. The dialysis machine according to claim 1, wherein the dialysis machine is configured to send a signal based on a short of the electrical circuit from fluid contact with the leak detector to indicate a leak condition.
 3. The dialysis machine according to claim 1, wherein the leak detector is disposed in a lower portion of the housing abutting an internal edge of the lower portion of the housing.
 4. The dialysis machine according to claim 1, wherein the leak detector is coupled to a leak detector casing, the leak detector casing at least partially covering the leak detector.
 5. The dialysis machine according to claim 4, wherein the leak detector casing includes a plurality of openings.
 6. The dialysis machine according to claim 1, wherein the leak detector includes a first portion, a second portion disposed at a first end of the first portion, and a third portion disposed at a second end of the first portion opposite of the first end.
 7. The dialysis machine according to claim 6, wherein the first portion is substantially perpendicular to the second portion and the third portion and the second portion is substantially parallel to the third portion.
 8. The dialysis machine according to claim 4, wherein the leak detector is coupled to at least one of the leak detector casing and the housing of the dialysis machine.
 9. The dialysis machine according to claim 1, wherein the electrical circuit is flexible.
 10. The dialysis machine according to claim 2, wherein the signal is sent to at least one of a user interface of the dialysis machine, an audible indicator and a light indicator.
 11. A method for detecting a leak in a dialysis machine, comprising: operating the dialysis machine; and monitoring a leak condition by a leak detector, the leak detector being an electrical circuit disposed in a housing of the dialysis machine, wherein a leak is detectable in response to fluid contacting the electrical circuit.
 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein in response to fluid contact with the leak detector, sending a signal to indicate a leak condition based on a short of the electrical circuit.
 13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the leak detector is coupled to a leak detector casing, the leak detector casing at least partially covering the leak detector.
 14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the leak detector includes a first portion, the first portion connected to a second portion at a first end of the first portion and connected to a third portion at a second end of the first portion opposite of the first end.
 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first portion is substantially perpendicular to the second portion and the third portion and the second portion is substantially parallel to the third portion.
 16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the leak detector is coupled to at least one of the leak detector casing and the housing of the dialysis machine.
 17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the electrical circuit is flexible.
 18. The method according to claim 12, wherein the signal is sent to at least one of a user interface of the dialysis machine, an audible indicator and a light indicator.
 19. A dialysis machine, comprising: a housing; and a detector disposed within the housing, the detector being an electrical circuit; wherein a presence of a fluid in the housing is detectable in response to the fluid contacting the detector.
 20. The dialysis machine according to claim 19, wherein the dialysis machine is configured to send a signal based on a short of the electrical circuit from contact of the fluid with the detector. 